Dolls having magnetically connected components



Ap 1966 E. M. TEAGARDEN 3,246,422

DOLLS HAVING MAGNETICALLY CONNECTED COMPONENTS Filed Jan. 14, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ELEANOR. M- TEAGARDE'N ATTORNEYS DOLLS HAVING MAGNETICALLY CONNECTEDCOMPONENTS Filed Jan. 14, 1964 April 19, 1966 E. M. TEAGARDEN 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. E LEA no: M .Te AG-AEDE N ATT ENEVS UnitedStates Patent 3,246,422 DOLLS HAVING MAGNETICALLY CONNECTED (IOMPONENTSEleanor M. Teagarden, 303 Victoria Blvd, Kenmore, N.Y.

Filed Jan. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 337,648 2 Claims. (CI. 46-22) Thisinvention relates to dolls composed of separable and interchangeableparts, including body portions, arms and legs, which are magneticallyconnected together.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of dolls of thekind indicated, the interchangeability of whose components enables notonly separation of components to facilitate dressing of the dolls, butgiving the dolls difierent poses, involving different attitudes of theircomponents, for greater interest and variety.

Another object of the invention is the provision of dolls of thecharacter indicated above, which comprise upper body sections which havefixed neck members, over which different selected heads areinterchangeably and loosely engageable, in a manner which practicallyeliminates the breakage at the neckline which is common to dolls havingfixed heads.

A further object of the invention is the provision of dolls of thecharacter indicated above, wherein circular component-connecting magnetsproject from components, which magnets are adapted to be engaged insocket assemblies, inset in other components, the socket assembliesbeing lined with magnetizable material, whereby the connected componentsabut each other, around the magnets, and'make substantially invisiblejoints.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a doll of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the doll, showing itscomponents separated;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary and exploded perspective viewshowing details of a magnet and socket assembly;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken onthe line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 55 ofFIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a view, like FIGURE 1, showing a different lower bodysection, different arms connected to the upper body section, and adifferent head.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and first to FIG- URES l to 5thereof, the doll therein shown comprises an upper body section or torso10 which is hollow and is made of suitable material, such as plaster orother plastic material. The upper body section 10 has a verticallyelongated, upstanding neck 12, which is longer than normal andterminates, at its upper end, in a convex hemispherical terminal 14.

The neck 12 rises from shoulders 16, whereat circular openings 18 areformed, which are formed, in their edges 20, with annular grooves 22,into which are securably engaged the lateral annular flanges 24, on thesidewalls 26 of pan-shaped inserts 28. The sidewalls 26 engage the edges20, and the bottom walls 30 of the inserts are flush with flat annularsurfaces 32 which surround the openings 18. The inserts 28 aremagnetizable and are preferably steel stampings.

Circular, reduced diameter, relatively thick magnets 34 are positionedconcentrically against the outer surfaces of the bottom walls 30 of theinserts 28, and are suitably fixed in place, as by means of rivets 36,which are passed through axial bores 38 and 40, in the magnets 34 andthe bottom walls 30 of the inserts, respectively. The magnets 34 areformed with reduced diameter circular and concentric bosses 42 whichextend outwardly therefrom.

The bosses 42 and the full diameter portions 44 of the magnets 34 areadapted to be received in relatively small magnetizable socketassemblies 46, adapted to connect hollow arms 48 to the upper bodysection 10, and in relatively large diameter socket assemblies 50,adapted to connect the upper body section to a hollow lower body section52. The socket assemblies 46 and 50 are the same in construction anddiffer only in size and locations.

The socket assemblies 46 comprise openings 54 formed in the laterallyinward sides of the arms 48, at the upper ends thereof, which aresurrounded by flat annular surfaces 56. The openings 54 have edges 58which are formed with annular grooves 60 into which are securablyengaged the edges of magnetizable discs 62, which are laterally spacedfrom the surfaces 56. The edges 58 are formed, inwardly of the discs 62,with concentric outer annular steps 64, concentric with larger diameterintermediate steps 66, and relatively shallow concentric inner annularsteps 68. The inner steps 68 open to the surfaces 56. 7

As shown in FIGURE 5, magnetizable sockets 70 have sidewalls 72 whichare shaped to fit the steps 64, 66 and 68, and are conformably engagedtherewith. The sockets 70 have bottom walls 74 which bear against andare suitably secured to the discs 62. The socket sidewalls 72 havelateral annular flanges 76, which engage in the inner steps 68, whichare flush with the-surfaces 56, and the flanges 76 have the same outsidediameters as the bottom walls 30 of the inserts 28. With thisarrangement, when the sockets '70 are engaged over the magnets 34, thesurfaces 32 of the upper body section, and the surfaces 56 of the arms48 are in flush engagement with each other, so as to make substantiallyinvisible joints.

The upper body section 10 has a fiat horizontal bottom edge 78, adaptedfor flush engagement with the fiat upper edge 80 of a lower body Section52, which is of hollow construction like the upper body section. Thelower body section 52 is formed with legs 84, positioned in spacedfore-and-aft positions, which extend downwardly from hips 86. The upperedge 80 of the lower body section 52, is preferably at waistline level.

The lower body section 52 is formed, in its upper end, with a circularupwardly facing opening 88, in which is set a disc 62 and a socket 70and a magnet assembly, including a magnet 34 is set into a downwardlyfacing opening in the lower end of the upper body section, thecomponents of which correspond in construction to those of thehereinabove described assemblies.

A different lower body section 52 shown in FIGURE 6, whose legs 82 arein laterally spaced positions, is interchangeable with the lower bodysection 52 of FIG- URES 1 to 5.

While the connections of the arms 48, of FIGURES 1 to 5, permit of theirbeing differently positioned, relative to the upper body section 10, asextended forwardly or rearwardly, or upwardly or downwardly, greatervariety and interest is obtainable by interchanging with the arms 48,other arms 48 48 48, and 48 shown in FIGURE 6.

The arms 48 of FIGURES 1 to 5 are in relatively unbent positions,Whereas the arms 48 and 48 of FIG- URE 6 are crooked.

Interchangeable heads 92, in FIGURES 1 to 5, and 92 in FIGURE 6, areremovably and loosely engageable over the terminals of the necks 12 and12 respectively, and these heads, while differing in hair arrangements94 and 94, respectively, are of similar hollow construction.

The heads comprise hollow substantially spherical skulls 96 havingfrontal face portions 98, including rearwardly extending chin portions100, at their lower ends. The sidewalls 102 of the skulls 96 are formedupwardly,

from their lower edges, with inverted V-shaped notches 104, which open,at their bottoms, to a skull bottom open ing 106, of a size and shape toconformably and loosely receive and pass into the skulls, the neck 12,of FIG- URES 1 to 5, and the neck 12 of FIGURE 6, as shown in FIGURE 4.i

What is claimed is:

1Lv A doll comprising a body having hollow components having flushmeeting ends, said meeting ends being formed with openings havingcircular edges, a magnet assembly secured in one of said openings andprojecting from the related meeting edge, a magnetizable socket assemblysecured in the other opening and adapted to receive the magnet, saidmagnet assembly comprising a circular pan-shaped insert having a bottomwall and a sidewall extending into the opening, the edge of the openingbeing formed with an annular groove, said sidewall having a lateralflange secured in the groove, the bottom wall being flush with therelated meeting end, and a circular magnet smaller in diameter than theinsert and secured concentrically to its bottom wall, said socketassembly comprising a magnetizable disc secured in the edge of therelated opening and spaced from the related meeting end, and amagnetizable socket having a sidewall engaged with the opening edge anda bottom wall secured to said disc, the sidewall of the socketconforming in shape to the magnet.

2. A doll comprising a body having hollow components having flushmeeting ends, said meeting ends being formed with openings havingcircular edges, a magnet assembly secured in one of said openings andprojecting 4 from the related meeting edge, a magnetizable socketassembly secured in the other opening and adapted to receive the magnet,said magnet assembly comprising a circular pan-shaped insert having abottom wall and a sidewall extending into the opening, the edge of theopening being formed with an annular groove, said sidewall having alateral flange secured in the groove, the

bottom wall being flush with the related meeting end, and a circularmagnet smaller in diameter than the insert and secured concentrically toits bottom wall, said socket assembly comprising a magnetizable discsecured in the edge of the related opening and spaced from the relatedmeeting end, and a magnetizable socket having a sidewall engaged withthe opening edge and a bottom Wall secured to said disc, the sidewall ofthe socket conforming in shape to the magnet, said magnet having areduced diameter concentric boss on its outer end.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,131,209 9/1938Alstadt et al. 46-164 2,695,950 11/1954 Zingone 63-29 2,752,726 7/1956Calverly 46-22 2,756,540 7/1956 Cleaver 46-164 2,975,497 3/1961 Budreck63-29 3,068,615 12/1962 Nassour 46-161 X 3,090,155 5/1963 Gordon 46-223,168,227 2/1965 Osmond 46-161 X RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner,

1. A DOLL COMPRISING A BODY HAVING HOLLOW COMPONENTS HAVING FLUSHMEETING ENDS, SAID MEETING ENDS BEING FORMED WITH OPENINGS HAVINGCIRCULAR EDGES, A MAGNET ASSEMBLY SECURED IN ONE OF SAID OPENINGS ANDPROJECTING FROM THE RELATED MEETING EDGE, A MAGNETIZABLE SOCKET ASSEMBLYSECURED IN THE OTHER OPENING AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE MAGNET, SAIDMAGNET ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CIRCULAR PAN-SHAPED INSERT HAVING A BOTTOMWALL AND A SIDEWALL EXTENDING INTO THE OPENING, THE EDGE OF THE OPENINGBEING FORMED WITH AN ANNULAR GROOVE, SAID SIDEWALL HAVING A LATERALFLANGE SECURED IN THE GROOVE, THE BOTTOM WALL BEING FLUSH WITH THERELATED MEETING END, AND A CIRCULAR MAGNET SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN THEINSERT AND SECURED CONCENTRICALLY TO ITS BOTTOM WALL, SAID SOCKETASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MAGNETIZABLE DISC SECURED IN THE EDGE OF THERELATED OPENING AND SPACED FROM THE RELATED MEETING END, AND AMAGNETIZABLE SOCKET HAVING A SIDEWALL ENGAGED WITH THE OPENING EDGE ANDA BOTTOM WALL SECURED TO SAID DISC, THE SIDEWALL OF THE SOCKETCONFORMING IN SHAPE TO THE MAGNET.